Machine for grading and sorting fruit.



J. L. HAMILTON.

MACHINE Pon GRADING AND soa'vmc: FRUIT.

APPLICATION FILED 001219, 1910. RBNEWHD JAN. if] 15H2, 1,020,093, Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

w J. 1.. HAMILToN. MACHINE POB GRADING ANDSORTING FRUIT.

APPLICATION FILED 0012.19, 1910. BENEWBD JAH. 8, 1912.

1,620,093. rammed Mar. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAMES L. HAMILTON, OF GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO.

MACHINE` FOR GRADING AND SORTING FRUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 19.12.

Application rled October 19, 1910, 4Serial No. 587,965. Renewed January 8. 1912. Serial No. 670,094.

My'invention relates to improvements in ,machines forgrading and sorting fruit, and

the object ofthe invention is to provide a machinewhereby, fruit may be rapidly and accurately sorted and automatically deposited `in suitable receptacles, each containingonly fruit of the same grade and of substantially uniform size, so that the sorted fruit? ma be readily and uickly packed from' oxes or barrels by i ordinaryunskilled labor, andea more uni-f form4 and regularpack secured than has usually been attained by skilled packers. I attain this object by 'means of the mechanisml Shownin the two.accompanying sheets' of suc receptacles into drawings, in whichview yon an enlarged scale on the'line 3 3 Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in leach of the several views. y y

The m'achine shown is designed especially forjgrading and sorting-apples and is adaptedv to handle two grades of the fruit such as fancy. and choice, and sort these two grades into four different sizes, and auto- -matically'deposit all of the fruit into the proper receptacles'. The machine is there.-`

lfore practically a double machine, one side being used for the fancy fruit and the other side for the choice fruit.

The machine consists essentially of a series of endless carrier belts, each belt being provided with holes all uniform in size while' .the holes inthe several successive belts in Acrease-or'ldecrease in size by any desired unit.

These belts run between guide rails which revent the fruit-from rolling off the belts.

uitable devices'are provided for frequently rotating or turning the fruit, so that lts smallest .diameter maybe presented to ,the

hole the belt since itis requiredito sort 5 f. the fruit according to its minlmum dlameter.

Sui-table receptacles areprovided into each rgure lV 1s a side view of the` machine: complete. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the ma-i 'chine from above. Fig. 3 is a cross sectiony of which fruit of the same size and grade is automatically deposited.

The machine is supported at a convenient height above the floor by the standards 5 which are preferably made of cast iron. The upper ends of these standards are provided with bearings 6 for the pulleys 7 on which the carrier belts 8 are placed. The guide rails 9, which are preferably made of wood, are bolted to the upper ends of the standards 5 in cthe manner shown. Each succeeding 'section of the machine is depressed below the preceding one as is clearly shown in Fig. l. The rst pulleys and carrier belts are driven by a pulley 19 by means of a driving belt which may be actuated by any desired motor power. The pulleys and carrier belts of the succeeding sections are driven by sprocket wheels 10 and chains l1. The bearings in which the. pulley shafts at one end of the carrier belts run are movable and provided with adjusting screws 12 whereby the' bearings may be moved longitudinally and the carrier belts may thereby be kept at the' proper tension, and any stretching taken up. In order to prevent the carrier belts 'from' sagging with the weight of fruit thereon, between the pulleys, the edges are sup-4 ported by longitudinal strips 13 secured to the guide rails 9. The capacity of the machine may, it is evident, be increased to any extent desired by providing additional belts and guide walls parallel to those shown.

The carrier belts 8 are provided with numerous holes lilthe size of these holes in the several belts corresponding with .the several sizes of fruit it is required to sort vout for making the desired packs. If all fruit was perfectly spherical it is evident that whenever one reached a carrier belt in which the hlcs lwere larger than itself it would immediately drop through the first hole in said belt.` Since, however, all fruit is more or less irregular in shape, and it is essential to a good pack that itbe sorted as to size by its minimum diameter, means -.must be provided whereby the'fruit as Vit is carried along suspended with/in the holes may be given a'sutlicientnumber of partial rotations onitsaxis to insure its minimum diameter being presented to the measuring hole before passing onto the succeeding belt. This requirement 1s attained in this machine by means ofthe inclined rotators 15 which are located just below the carrier belts as fao clearly shown in Fig. 4. These inclined rotators are arranged to slope upward in the direction of the movement of the carrier belts, so that when an apple, whichhas partially entered one of the holes 11i, is car# ried over one of said rotators by the movement of the belt it will be frictionally engaged by the rotator and thereby given a partial rotation on its axis so lthat another diameter will be presented-to the measuring hole. By providing three of these rotators beneath each belt it has been found that a verv satisfactory and perfect sorting of the fruit as to size will be secured. The inclined rotators 15 are preferably hinged and provided with light springs 16 which normally retain them in the inclined position shown. This construction allows the rotators to yield before bruising the fruit but does not in any way interfere with their normal function.

It will occasionally happen that the fruit carried along on the surface of the belt and thus not be acted upon by the sorting'mechanism. This difficulty will be entirely overcome and the fruit caused to enter one of on each side of the first section of :the machine, n which the fruit to be sorted and graded is placed. 'lwo .operatives-can work at each table sorting the fruit into the grades fancy, choice and culls, this grading being determined by t-he surface blemishes or other defects on the fruit. The fancy fruit is all 4placed on one ofthe carrier belts and the4 choice fruit all on the other, while the culls. which it is not desired to sort as to size are dropped. into the chutes 22, which guide them down into suitable boxes or other desired receptacles placed thereunder. The fruit which drops through the smallest holes in the carrier belts of the first section, falls into a canvas sack or sacks 24, suspended with open mouths directly beneath the carrier belt-s. The 'bottom of the sack is normally closed by a flap 25. lWhen it is desired to remove the fruit the flap 25 is unfastened whereupon the fruit will drop into a box or other receptacle The fruit which drops `through the larger holes in the carrier belts of the second and third sections is caught by the canvas packing trays 26, the two trays on one side re ceiving the fancy grade of fruit and the two on the other side receiving t-he choice the outer edge is secured to a shaft 27 which may be rotated in bearings in the outer ends of the brackets 28. The yrotationy of the shaft 27 serves to tighten or loosen the canvas thereby varying its capacity, as may be seen in Fig. 3 where the receptacle on the' right is at its maximum' capacity and the one on the left at its minimum' capacity. The

shafts are secured at the desired point by means of rachet and pawl 29 lent device.

The largest size of the fruit is carried to the eXtreme right hand end of the machine or any equivawhere it is deposited in the receptaclesl 30 vwhich are preferably constructed as shown, being substantially a partitioned box supported on brackets 31 at a small angle from horizontal so that the fruit will roll down to the outer edge convenient vfor the packer.

While I have shown and described what I regard as the referred construction of my machine asadapted to the grading and sorting of apples, my invention is evidently not limited to this specific construction, since numerous mechanical modifications will readily occur. n The machine may be 4readily adapted for sorting various other fruits and vegetables, as well as articles of various kinds which it may be desired to'.

sort as to size, provided that additional carrier belts be provided having holes of the required size and shape. The number of sectionsmay be increased or diminished to suit any special requirement, and also the relative arrangement of the several sections may be changed, and the sections located' either onedirectly above another vertically rated carrier belt, parallel guide walls for' supporting said belt, and retaining the fruit thereon, means for moving said belt between the guide walls, and means for' 4rotating the fruit within the lholes while being carried along on said belt.

2. In a machine for grading and sorting fruit the combination of an endless perforated carrier belt, parallel guide walls for supporting said belt and retaining the fruit thereon, means for moving said belt between the guide walls, inclined rotators underneath said belt and flexible obstruct.

ing devices located along the side walls,

rot-ating and guiding the fruit while being ,y

carried along on said belt.

-and the perforations in each successive belt increasingV in sizebyv adesired unit, parallel ,guidev walls for supporting said belts and retaining the fruit thereon, means for movin'g'said belts between the guide walls, and means for rotating the fruit within the holes while being carried along on said belts.

4. In a machine for grading and sorting fruit the combination of an endless perfo-` rated carrier belt, parallel guide walls for supporting said belt and retainingthe fruit thereon, means for moving said belt between the guide Walls, hinged rotators normally inclined upward to the belt andadaptcdto turn the fruit when suspended in the pero'ation while being carried along on said 5. In a machine for ading and sorting fruit the combination o a plurality of endless perforated carrier belts each belt havinfr all of its perforations uniform in size, an the perfor-ations in each successive belt increasing in size by a desired unit parallel guide Walls for supporting said belts and retaining the fruit thereon, means formoving said beltbetween the guide walls, means for rotating the fruit within the holes while being carried along on said belts, and suitable receptacles adapted to receive the several grades and sizes of the fruit.`

Si ned at Grand Junction in the county ofMgesa and State ofColorado this 12th day of October, A. D. 1910.

JAMES L. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

J. K. MCOLINTOCK, H. L. MoCLIN'roCK. 

